Today we have another of my top recommended plugins, Google XML Sitemaps. It’s handy because it completely automates the submission of your latest content to the major search engines.
Since I can’t say it any better myself, here’s the description straight from the plugin’s creator:
This plugin will create a Google sitemaps compliant XML-Sitemap of your WordPress blog. It supports all of the WordPress generated pages as well as custom ones. Everytime you edit or create a post, your sitemap is updated and all major search engines that support the sitemap protocol, like ASK.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO, are notified about the update.
How to configure Google XML Sitemaps
Figure 1: XML-Sitemap link in the navigation bar.
Of course, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin in the usual manner.
Once it’s activated, you’ll see an item called XML-Sitemap (not Google XML Sitemaps, somewhat confusingly). It’s inside the Settings area in the left-side navigation (shown in Figure 1).
Simply click it to take a look at the configuration page.
Even the author of the plugin himself says that the default settings should be sufficient for just about anybody. Whew!
Building your first sitemap
When you first install the plugin, you’ll need to build a sitemap for the first time. It’s incredibly easy; just click the link at the top of the screen that says “Click here to build it the first time,” as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Click to build the sitemap for the first time.
With a brand-new blog, the building process is nearly instantaneous. The message “The sitemap wasn’t generated yet” is replaced by a status message telling you when the last sitemap was built, shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Sitemap-building results, which will always appear on your settings page.
Even though this page contains a link to rebuild the sitemap manually, you can pretty much ignore it. The sitemap will automatically be updated whenever you add a new Post or Page, or otherwise change your blog.
And that’s it!
Note: Merely installing and using this plugin does not help you get ranked higher in Google search results. You still have to have solid, relevant content. What the sitemap does is ensure that when you do publish that solid, relevant content, Google and the other search engines add it to their databases promptly.
More Google XML Sitemaps Resources
Here’s the WordPress Plugin Directory entry for Google XML Sitemaps, which has
Arne Brachhold, the plugin’s developer, has a Google XML Sitemaps FAQ on his website, which is so detailed it’s a bit scary! Search here if you have problems or issues.
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Posted by Wendy Cholbi, your friendly neighborhood swim-goggle-wearing technology-to-English translator
